This patent is directed to a booklet-forming machine and method for forming a booklet having printed information disposed thereon.
One patent that discloses such a booklet is U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,411 to Joseph M. Vijuk. The Vijuk patent discloses various methods of forming a booklet from a single sheet of paper. As shown in FIGS. 2A through 2G, the Vijuk patent discloses the formation of a booklet by first applying a strip of glue along the length of a sheet of paper having information printed thereon and then making a plurality of folds in the sheet of paper, with each of the folds being made in a direction perpendicular to the length of the sheet of paper. The formation of the booklet is completed by trimming off the folded portions of the folded sheet and then making a fold in a direction parallel to the strip of glue that coincides with the strip of glue. FIGS. 3A through 3D and FIGS. 4A through 4F of the Vijuk patent disclose additional methods of forming a booklet from a sheet of paper, and the Vijuk patent also discloses various embodiments of an apparatus for forming booklets from a sheet of paper.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method of forming a booklet having product information printed thereon. The method may include (a) providing a profiled sheet of paper having product information printed thereon. The profiled sheet may have a first sheet portion with a width transverse to the length of the profiled sheet, a second sheet portion having a width transverse to the length of the profiled sheet, and/or a pair of removable tabs formed from part of the second sheet portion. The first sheet portion may have a length parallel to the length of the profiled sheet, the second sheet portion may have a length parallel to the length of the profiled sheet, the length of the first sheet portion may be greater than the length of the second sheet portion, and/or the width of the second sheet portion may be greater than the width of the first sheet portion.
The method may also include (b) applying an adhesive to a sheet of paper having product information printed thereon and (c) folding the profiled sheet after (b) by making a plurality of folds in the profiled sheet in a first direction perpendicular to the length of the profiled sheet using a folding apparatus, which may comprise a plurality of folding rollers, to form an intermediate article. The intermediate article may comprise a plurality of inner sheet panels, an outer sheet panel that corresponds to the second sheet portion of the profiled sheet, a first folded edge parallel to the first direction, and/or a second folded edge parallel to the first direction. The folds may be made so that the outer sheet panel is not disposed between two of the sheet panels, and/or so that each of a plurality of the sheet panels is adhered to at least one other of the sheet panels by the adhesive along a bonded portion of the intermediate article. The method may also include (d) coupling the removable tabs together after (b) to maintain the inner sheet panels in a substantially closed position and/or (e) removing the first and second folded edges of the intermediate article after (c).
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a booklet-forming apparatus that forms a booklet having printed product information. The apparatus may include a first processing apparatus, which may comprise a cutting device, that provides a profiled sheet of paper having product information printed thereon, an adhesive applicator positioned to apply adhesive to a sheet of paper having product information printed thereon, and/or a first folding unit, which may comprise a plurality of folding rollers.
The first folding unit may make a plurality of folds in the profiled sheet in a first direction perpendicular to the length of the profiled sheet to form an intermediate article. The intermediate article may comprise a plurality of inner sheet panels, an outer sheet panel that corresponds to the second sheet portion of the profiled sheet, a first folded edge parallel to the first direction, and/or a second folded edge parallel to the first direction. The folds may be made so that the outer sheet panel is not disposed between two of the sheet panels and/or so that each of a plurality of the sheet panels is adhered to at least one other of the sheet panels by the adhesive along a bonded portion of the intermediate article disposed between a first end of the intermediate article and a second end of the intermediate article.
The booklet-forming apparatus may include a second processing apparatus, which may comprise a cutting device, that removes the first and second folded edges of the intermediate article and/or a second folding unit that may comprise a pair of folding rollers. The second folding unit may make a fold in the intermediate article along the bonded portion of the intermediate article and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The fold in the intermediate article may be made so that the outer sheet panel forms a pair of outer sheets, so that each of the inner sheet panels forms a pair of inner sheets that are disposed between the outer sheets, and/or so that the removable tabs are coupled together to maintain the inner sheets in a substantially closed position.
Additional aspects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.